In robotically-assisted or telerobotic surgical systems, the surgeon typically operates a master input driver (MID) or master input controller to remotely manipulate, articulate, or control the motion of surgical instruments at the surgical site. The surgeon may be located remotely away from the patient in a different part of the operating room, in a different room, or in a different building. In some applications, the surgeon may be located in a different geographical region away from where the patient is located. The master input driver usually includes one or more manual input devices, such as a mouse, keyboard, trackball, joystick, data gloves, or exoskeletal gloves or the like, which may be coupled to the surgical instruments or tools by way of various linkages, such as wire and/or wireless linkages including connectors, receivers, wires, cables, electrical motors, servo motors, gears, pulleys, etc. for manipulating, articulating, and controlling the surgical instruments or tools. The electrical motors or servo motors are typically part of an electromechanical device, instrument driver, or robotic catheter manipulator (RCM) that supports and controls the surgical instruments and tools for performing various surgical procedures in a patient. In particular, when the robotically-assisted or telerobotic surgical systems are used for minimally invasive surgical procedures, the electromechanical device, instrument driver, or robotic catheter manipulator advances, steers, and/or articulates various surgical instruments, such as steerable catheters, into various body structures and along with various surgical tools, such as ablation catheters, laser catheters, endoscopes, cutters, graspers, lassos, etc. to perform various diagnostic and/or therapeutic treatments on tissue structures inside a patient.
In order to maintain a sterile field or sterile environment for a surgical procedure, a sterile drape is typically used as a barrier between the electromechanical device, instrument driver, or robotic catheter manipulator and the surgical instruments and surgical tools that may be used in the surgical procedures. The sterile drapes used to cover the instrument driver typically include holes or openings through which instruments and tools are coupled to the instrument driver; as such, this type of barrier may not be completely effective in providing a sterile barrier or sterile boundary. Consequently, some portions of the instruments or tools may be exposed to the non-sterile environment, and some portions of the surgical instruments or tools may come in contact with non-sterile components. As a result, at least some portion of the surgical instruments or tools may become contaminated or non-sterile.
Accordingly, improved systems and methods are needed to prevent exposure or contamination of surgical instruments and tools.